There are 20 dates in 2014 on which Americans can officially fly their flags in recognition of their countrymen and the United States of America. January 1 is the first day of each year on which to officially honor the Stars and Stripes.

Three flags fly at Veterans Park at the Bridge in Napoleon, Ohio. They are the State of Ohio (left), Old Glory, (center), and the POW-MIA (right), which gives recognition to Prisoners of War and those Missing In Action.

*****Flying Old Glory

There are birthdays,
Washington’s and Lincoln’s,
which are Presidential;
we fly the flag, our beacon,

for them and all who the
Oval Office have occupied,
raising Old Glory so to
not ever side, or hide.

In February, we celebrate
their birthdays on two days,
February 12th and 17th, but
recognize all, as we may,

and give January 20th to
the junior Martin Luther King
alone; he whom we honor
singularly. He, also, let freedom ring.

In May is VE Day.
On the eighth we
remember those all,
without saying “me”.

Mothers of our hearts
we celebrate on a day
in May, too. We treasure
their quiet, guiding way.

Armed Forces Day, Memorial
Day; those are reflective times
that bring tears and new
fear to old, dwindling minds.

Flags of Our Fathers combine
in June on the 15th and 14
in honored debt we cannot
repay; only do we honor more.

Labor Day, VJ Day, Patriot Day!
Ah, these see Old Glory reign!
And we, free and eager to
remain, celebrate on that train!

Once again, in December, we
remember, solemnly, a day of infamy,
a day surpassed, joyously, with
a new Christmas and Epiphany!

Flag flying days in order of date in 2014 include the following:
January 1 — New Year’s Day
January 20 — Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
February 12 — Lincoln’s birthday
February 17 — Washington’s birthday (observed)
May 8 — VE (Victory in Europe) Day
May 11 — Mother’s Day
May 17 — Armed Forces Day
May 26 — Memorial Day
June 14 — Flag Day
June 15 — Father’s Day
July 4 — Independence Day
September 1 — Labor Day
September 2 — VJ (Victory in Japan) Day
September 11 — Patriot Day
October 13 — Columbus Day
November 4 — Elections Day
November 11 — Veterans’ Day
November 27 — Thanksgiving Day
December 7 — Pearl Harbor Day
December 25 — Christmas Day

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Credit:
Poem and Photos from the personal and copyrighted collection of Barbara Anne Helberg

Soldiers salute even in the snow;
because they are patriots, you know.

Through the dark of eerie nights,
soldiers salute their flag in fight.

Saluting the red, white, and blue
is a time-honored tradition, not new.

Every soldier knows the salute drill;
good ones revel in reverence, and thrill!

Friends of soldiers, not always of means,
nonetheless share their peace-filled dreams

of days when all may salute their flag
without an Earthly, struggling snag;

without those continuing days of fight,
but because of united, peaceful might.

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***FLAG-FLYING Etiquette:
(1) — Never allow the flag to touch the ground or any other object while on display.

(2) — Salute the flag as it is hoisted and lowered, during the playing of the National Anthem and while saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Stand at attention with your right hand over your heart and your hat removed.

(3) — Display the flag outdoors only between sunrise and sunset, unless illuminated by a spotlight.

(4) — When displaying the flag indoors, always position it to the right of a speaker or staging area.

(5) — To place a flag at half-staff, hoist it to the peak for an instant before lowering it to a halfway position.

Flag Etiquette and Depiction courtesy of The Eastern Paralyzed Veterans of America.

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Credit:
Poem and first and last photos from the personal and copyrighted collection of Barbara Anne Helberg

The Writing Life : My Writing Life Xposed

Dark Visions Relationships the second time around in the world of Amazon anthologies are just as rewarding and exciting as the first time we — over 20 authors — connected with Dan Alatorre’s editing and compiling skills last year (2017) for the production of The Box Under the Bed. Select and Read our eerie, compelling […]

Short Stories and Story Art The date on this original Short Story, Racing Dilemma, presented BELOW, is 1967. It’s creation was a result of my passionate interest in sports, particularly in Thoroughbred horse racing. The story was one of several sports stories I wrote as I was continuing my writing studies with the Famous Writers […]

There always has been a dog in my life — a canine, I mean… So, it seems a natural thing for my writing to include dog stories. However, I took that to a new level after my kids were grown and gone and I was single again, with a new life partner — a Newfoundland […]

Throughout my writing life, I’ve been a maverick with POV, character point of view. The real problem for me on POV is the fact that I really enjoy using multiple POVs, and that can easily lead to story confusion. If you consider the following two endings, used in different versions of the same story, you […]

BAT Publishing Stories I still like the following short story, one I wrote many years ago when my children were small, because I was able to give it a happy ending, something I have not always lived, nor sought to achieve in my writerly wonderings. Happy endings don’t always happen in real life, and many […]

Area Images : My Special Photos

Fans : Fans and Gamers

In my continuing Scrabbled Short Story challenge, I have made a scan (ABOVE) of a Scrabble board game with less than ten words listed. Can you establish a brief story with less than ten words? There are just six words on the board. Unscrabble them into separate words to discover their secret message. ******* ***Credit: […]

InterlockED (The Abridged Handcrafted Edition of the complete Novel In A Nutshell “Interlock”) by Barbara Anne Helberg +++++ +++Credit: “InterlockED” Chapter B and Photos from the personal and copyrighted collection of Barbara Anne Helberg Website (for more information on “Interlock”, the Unabridged Novel In A Nutshell, and “InterlockED”, its Abridged Edition): http://www.batpublishingsoftcovers.vistaprintdigital.com Amazon Author […]

I’ve participated in an anthology selling on Amazon: The Box Under the Bed My contribution to Dan’s anthology is Interlock, a short story of mystery, intrigue, questions and doubtful answers… Give it a try at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/bahelberg3-sp-a_17 +++++ Credit: Photo of book cover, “The Box Under the Bed”, released in October of 2017, from the personal collection […]

… The behinder I get… but I simply will persevere with humor! As a young person trying to find adulthood, I was greatly influenced by the man who took care of our family — eight children and Mother — and who had a quick, stalwart, and calm smile no matter the circumstances in which he […]